Pixalate this week released the Q1 2018 Video Seller Trust Index (VSTI), which ranks the overall quality of programmatic sellers based on programmatic video inventory across desktop, mobile, and Connected TV/OTT. Our VSTI includes a U.S.-only set of rankings and an International set of rankings (all countries except for the U.S.).

Here are the top five sellers based on overall inventory quality from the U.S. and International in March 2018:

The gap between higher- and lower-ranked programmatic video sellers isn’t as wide as it used to be

Since the start of 2017, the gap between higher- and lower-ranking programmatic video ad sellers has narrowed.

The below chart depicts the difference in average Final Grade between companies ranked 1-10 and companies ranked 31-40 (running average).

Those at the top do still provide better overall quality than those further down the list, but this data indicates that the gap is narrowing between the “top” and “bottom.” It suggests there is now less risk associated with “choosing the wrong partner” compared to a year ago.

This could be a sign that the programmatic video ad industry, as a whole, has taken measures to address the calls for more transparency and better quality.

One of the major trends we’ve seen in the programmatic video advertising space over the past 18 months is video sellers adopt stricter standards when it comes to quality. We have seen many new video sellers work with ad fraud vendors in a bid to reduce invalid traffic (IVT) and reduce overall risk.

Global quality ratings are based on an analysis of overall effectiveness assessing multiple factors, such as viewability, fraud, engagement, domain masking, network quality and more, in compliance with recognized industry standards.

Disclaimer: The content of this blog reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any proprietary data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that - opinion, not facts or guarantees.

Per the MRC, “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PIXALATE BLOG.

THE FIRST STEP IN AD FRAUD PREVENTION.

Your email address is safe with us. We won't spam you or share with anyone.